All-First Coast girl cross country: Stephanie Strasser

The Fernandina Beach senior rarely skips her running routine - in rain, shine or snow.

• BY JEFF ELLIOTT

The first three days this week, Stephanie Strasser went for her daily training run of 5 to 10 miles in the snowy, icy, sub-freezing temperatures of northern Illinois.

She'll likely skip her normal routine with today being Christmas. But this weekend, it's back to the sands, the warmth and the 70-degree temperatures she will encounter on her runs along the beaches of Fernandina Beach.

Whether she's bogged down with layers of thermal clothing, a face mask and gloves or simply running in a T-shirt and shorts, Strasser will be running. She rarely misses a day without tacking on some miles to her out-of-season training of nearly 70 miles a week.

That's what has made Strasser the elite high school runner in Jacksonville the past two years and why she's a rare repeat winner as the Times-Union's All-First Coast girls cross country runner of the year.

"I have a great passion for running," said the Fernandina Beach senior who transferred to this area from St. Charles, Ill., after her sophomore season when her parents elected to relocate to be near Strasser's grandmother, who died shortly thereafter.

"This past week when [twin sister] Christy and I went back home to visit our good friend, Catherine Sullivan, I really enjoyed our runs up there. It was great to be back running in the snow, especially around the holiday season," Strasser said. "I love Florida with the heat and the sun is great, and I like the fact that you can train year-round. But at the same time, I miss the cold. In some ways, it's tougher to train up north, because the wind can be bad, and sometimes it gets too bad with the blizzards and you can't train. That's frustrating."